


She rode a pale horse

by Jezmatron



Series: Space Captain Catra [6]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora is a beast, Adora is a broken bird, Adora is a hardass, Combat, F/F, Gore, No Mercy, Someone dies, Space Violence, Violence, a LOT of a people die, gunfight, she will mess your day up, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:29:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29707527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jezmatron/pseuds/Jezmatron
Summary: A pirate base, under attack by forces unknown.A short, unsettling glimpse at our blonde OUTSIDE the cockpit.And her current feelings on things.
Series: Space Captain Catra [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935604
Comments: 29
Kudos: 39





	She rode a pale horse

Panicking Pirates

Computer updates

*BReach - Sector FIVE*

Gunfire

Isolate the intruder!

More gunfire

Breach - Sector 3. Sector 4

Video “Send help! We need-” camera suddenly spattered with blood.

\--

Angella sits back and blinks, “What was that”

DT: “The security you paid for. And a very likely preview of what could happen here if you don’t play nice with our  _ currently _ tame attack dog”

“Who else has seen this?”

“Oh, just Mermy… apparently that abandoned station around the gas giant? Wasn’t that abandoned - Tong had moved some… muscle in there. They aren’t there anymore.”

\----------------

_ Breach - SECTOR - two _

_ Breach - SECTOR - two _

_ Breach - SECTOR - two _

_ All hands - evacuate - SECTOR - two _

_ Atmospheric decompression in progress _

_ ALERT _

_ Thermal spike detected on deck 5. Deck 6. Deck 7 _

_ Breach - SECTOR - three _

_ Breach - SECTOR - three _

_ Bre- _

“Shut that infernal thing off! We know! We have an  _ hissss _ intruder! Shut it off or I’ll tan your scales for hardsuit decorations!”

“Yes, oh venomous one!”

The control centre was chaos; more so than usual. Metal grated floors strewn with jury-rigged cables, half disassembled computer banks and open ordinance crates scattered out and around the raised central control console and command chair. The emergency lighting cast the room in baleful red light. In the background, the alarm continued to warble.

The form of a hulking reptile, clad in a durable set of plated ceramic combat armour, hissed from its hunched position over the central control unit. It cast its baleful yellow eyes over the scurrying technicians and panicking mercenaries that moved about the room with a sense of terrified, aimless urgency. Most were armed, but their kit was a mish-mash of old-looking military gear (mostly Horde) and jury rigged scrap, haphazardly buckled together atop vacuum suits.

The alarm dulled and the monotonous, off-kilter announcements quietened. The reptile growled in something approaching satisfaction, “Report. What found us?”   
  


A tech by one of the functioning monitors shook his goat-like head, “Uh, um, not sure Boss… it, uh… we had a thermal reading in the belt and then…”

The room shuddered and everyone froze. Nearby, a radio crackled to life. Tinny sounds filled their and a voice cut in, mingling with background staccato sounds.

_ Gunfire _ .

“... _ nger bay compromised! Fuckin’ rock just came in, totalled _ _ the shuttles… oh SHIT! SHOOT IT SHOO-” _

There was a squawk and the radio cut out. The crew looked at each other, then at the hulking form of the boss. The reptile slammed a clawed fist onto the console and snarled, “I need numbers - is it the Horde? Those cursed Salinean Reavers? Bounty hunters?”

“I… I don’t know si-” the poor technician’s words were cut short as the reptile roared in anger. It’s other arm lashed out and a tendril of glowing energy lanced out, a whip of electrified fibre. The goat-man shrieked and slammed to the floor, a smoking wound on his cheek.

“Answers, fools! The Rock Vipers are not the ones caught unawares! Find the intruder, their little traps and  _ end _ them. GO!”

A pair of mercs began barking orders into their own comms and another group tramped from an adjacent room, then deployed out of the main access door, out into the base proper. Another tech stepped around a chaotic mess of power-cells and cabling to fiddle with a large, circular desk. It shimmered and a 3d model of the base came online. The hologram fizzed and flickered around the edges. A symbol for some old corporate entity rotated at the bottom, lost to time.

The base was made up of one large central rock, honeycombed with internal and external structures. Two other rocks were connected by scaffolding and umbilical tunnels. One held a massive hangar, the other the former accommodation and recreation hub. The central mass had a few more hangars and the main generator and hydroponics facilities.

Half of the blue map was highlighted in red - no power or sensors offline. The tech pointed at a flashing access corridor, “Uh, seems an external breach here…” the map rotated, “Aaand… a rogue asteroid impacted cargo hangar B… here.”

The large reptile snarled and nodded, “The _ Fang _ ?”

Another tech, a woman with wide, frog-like eyes, looked up as she tapped away at a portable terminal, “No response. The field has proven difficult to get signals through… “

The boss growled, a rumbling reptilian sound, “I want the  _ Fang _ ready to deploy extra crew. If this is just an asteroid strike, I want to know whyy my miserable excuse for a crew are firing at shadows.”

A distant rumble shook the room again and the techs gripped at whatever surface they could to stay upright.

_ Alert. Generator B7 offline. Generator B8 offline. Emergency power at 67% _

_ Hull breaches at junction A7, B3, B5. Critical atmospheric loss. _

_ Station hands are advised to confirm routes to nearest escape vessels. Currently there are: _

**_ZERO_ **

_ Licensed escape shuttles docked. _

_ Have a pleasant day. _

The large reptile sneered up at the speakers, “Five weeks and you still have not purged that sickening voice from my fortress? What are you even  _ for _ ? I should turn you into rations… why did the point defence not deflect an asteroid strike on the generators? Damage report!”

Another rumble and then the alarms came back online. The frog-tech winced and shook her head, “Sensors offline… not destroyed just… severed. We are blind to the cargo facility and the hab-facility. Uhhh… That… that’s weird.”

“Explain, dolt.”

“Uhm… no other ships. Sensors are working fine. No interference.”   
  


“What? The  _ Fang? _ ”   
  


“Gone sir… um.. Got a maintenance drone… oh… oh shit.”   
  


The base hologram flickered out and a 3d representation of the drone’s view came up. It showed the surface of the cargo facility - all rock and antennas, the exposed metal pitted with impacts from micro-meteors. Gas vented from breaches in corridors that were near the surface. One large hole had a cone of debris that spilled slowly from it. The tech sucked in a breath. The boss snarled.

“Explosive entry. Not asteroid,” growled the massive reptile.

Another object drifted into view. A ship.

Split in two, its spine broken. It had once looked like a dagger - a jury rigged Horde Frigate, it was now nothing more than floating scrap. More debris spilled from within. Bodies floated in the vacuum.

A vid-screen on one of the terminals came to life and the panicked face of a merc came into view, “ _ Send reinforcements! It’s so fuckin FAST! We’ve lost Hickney and Degar. We’re trying to…” _

In the background came the chatter of blaster fire as the merc team tried to suppress something. There was a shriek and a figure fell in the background. The merc turned and stared off down the corridor. The boss snarled at the soldier, “What is it? Report!”

_ “No clue! White suit… we’re falling back to the commissary. Got a team flanking by hydroponics and…” _

The screen went dark, save for the headlamps on the merc’s hemet. 

_ Alert. Power to commissary deck offline. _

_ Have a pleasant day _

There were flashes as gunfire erupted again. Then the tearing of metal as  _ something _ sheared through a bulkhead. In the command room, there came the distant echo of metal under incredible strain. A tech swore.

“Sir, movement outside the station… Something’s attacking the hydroponics area.”

“Visual?”

“The drone… it’s offline sir. Something took it out.”   
  


“Cowards! FOOLS! Lifesign scan!”

The base map reappeared. Blips indicated the thirty mercs currently fanning out through various rooms and corridors. One group was pulling back. Five blips.

Four.

Three.

Only two made it into the large communal hall of the commissary. Another ten blips indicated the defensive line the mercs had setup there. The radio cracked to life again.

_ “Eyes on our boys. Fuuuck get over here lads! Boss, no eyes on the hostiles.” _

“Get a count,” snarled the boss, “Horde fireteams and commands operate in teams of six to twelve.”   
  


A faint voice whimpered near the radio operator at the other end,  _ “Only… only saw one _ .”

The boss snarled, “Discipline the whelp. The only thing you should fear is  _ me _ ,” He flicked a claw to the comms-frog, “Second squad?”

The tech nodded, then spoke into the communicator. A voice came back over the line, “ _ Advancing through hydroponics. All quiet. Lights are low, still got power here. Wait… got something. Access corridor… SHIT BACK! EVERYONE B-” _

Another rumble.

_ Access corridor 3C has suffered a catastrophic breach. Hydroponics sealed. Emergency decompression: AVERTED. _

_ Have a pleasant day. _

“What is going on!” Roared the boss. The radio crackled again.

“ _ Ugh… fuck. Nack got hit. Demo charge in the corridor. Looked like a miner’s breaching blaster.” _

The boss’ feature’s crinkled, its brown-red scales glinting in the eerie red light, “Miners? Or opportunists? We are the toughest, the most feared reavers in the sector! We will not be bested by rock-pickers!”

_ “Advancing… alright dogs, seals on. We’re checking hard vacuum. Seal hydroponics, get that blast door open…” _

There was silence and the Boss nodded at the operator, “Other teams. Check.”

She nodded rapidly. Other mercs around the room moved to cover the doors and did their own local check ins. The radio tech looked back, “All teams report quiet, boss.”

“Where are they? Maybe they blew themselves up with their own toy… and the external threat?”

The map-tech looked back and winced, “No sign. Looks like a two pronged attack on hydroponics… my guess, they did it so the internal squad could move from the commissary access to hydroponics to cut off the flank.”   
  


The Boss regarded the tech then chuckled, “Astute. Maybe you are more than a wire-monkey. They anticipate our strikes. You! Inform the commissary team to advance and to link with the hydroponics team… flush them out, do not wait for them to advance. We need to dictate the ground.”

The command crew watched as half the blips advanced from the commissary, along with the group from the hydroponics.

_ “Hydro here… shit that charge wrecked the access corridor. Got vacuum here. We’re gonna need to patch this… or walk the long way. Debris… shit, Nack got the full force of it… Saves on a burial…” _

They advanced, the blips moving. THe map flickered and the Boss’ huge head swung and tilted. His lips curled back and he hissed, “Back!”

The radio crackled then shrieked with feedback. Gunfire flickered as the transmission phased in and out. Screams stuccoed over the transmission and abruptly cut out. The Boss snarled and the techs scrambled to regain transmission. The map tech gasped, “Got a feed!”

  
  


\--------

_ Timestamp: 22:37 - 22022627 _

_ Access corridor B _

The angle was off slightly, the perspective making the corridor seem long. The view showed where the hydroponics corridor linked to the commissary one, then a longer avenue down. The corridor was hexagonal, bathed in the same eerie dim red light of emergency power. Bulbs flickered as the power feed ebbed and flowed.

The flashes were made worse by the squad at the bottom of the feed - just visible, they were firing down the corridor, past the hydroponics junction at something out of view. A pair of bodies lay, sprawled in the middle of the view. They had apparently been coming out of the junction. Flashes of blaster bolts singed down the dark corridor, but hit nothing.

_ “Where the fuck is it? WHERE?” _

The command crew watched as the squad advanced up from the commissary, five men. Three more emerged from the hydroponics corridor.

Then  _ something _ shifted from next to the camera, down the corridor. Blue bolts lanced down and three mercs went down in a spray of gore. The others, to their credit, moved to find what cover they could, bunkering in behind crates and against the junction wall.

_ “It’s… anyone got eyes on?” _

_ “Single target… shit where’d it go…?” _

Silence fell. Then a shadow fell on one of the mercs.

In the Hydroponics corridor. 

The Boss saw the movement first. But then it was a blur. A merc turned, then staggered as a  _ blade _ sank into his faceplate. Blue bolts lanced out, taking the other two out. The rest of the squad turned and panic ensued.

_ “Fuck! FLANK FLANK!” _ _   
  
_

_ “LIGHT IT THE FUCK UP!” _

_ “MOVE IDIOTS!” _

More blue bolts and the mercs scrambled to vault their cover, to try to dodge. Two more went down, leaving three men only.

“ _ Anyone see it?” _

_ “...Only one… only fucking one?” _

_ “Nah, gotta be two…” _

_ “Shit… no.. it’s… it’s breaching from outside. It’s on the rock. Bypassing the corridors.” _ _   
  
_

The Boss snarled again - their foe was cunning. It was dictating the battle, hopping around  _ outside _ and making holes to break them. Like a rat tunnelling into stores.

“Pull back to the commissary. I want a squad outside. These cloaca sucking scum can’t hide out there. Go via the hangar.”

A clang echoed from outside the command deck. The guards at the door tensed up and the Boss whirled to snarl at the open blast doors. The troops exchanged glances and one peered out.

There was a hiss of compressed air and a harpoon slammed into the man’s shoulder. He had time to shriek before he was yanked out of the door. His body vanished out of sight, down the corridor outside the room. The other mercs in the room swore and one slammed the button to seal the door. It slammed shut with a shriek of hydraulics.

The vid-comm came to life again, “ _ Commissary… squad is returning. Pinar’s team are heading out via the Hangar two decks down. No sign of hostile… all ok Boss?” _ _   
  
_

“The scum are outside the command deck!”

“ _ How? That’s… two minutes at full sprint! They were just outside the Hydro bay.” _

“Maybe there is more than one, you dolt?”

_ “Shit, um, sorry boss… fuck, uh… you want us to…” _

“Yes, fool. Fall back. We bunker up here and assess.”   
  


The merc on the other end nodded, then froze and stared off camera,  _ “Oh shi-” _ the screen suddenly splashed with gore. The command crew exchanged worried glances and the Boss snarled, then whirled to the door.

“Open it! We will face this scum, we will prevail! We are the toughest, the most powerful! I am Tong Lashor, Warlord of the Seven Belts, Most Venomous Lord of the Blasted Crimson, Commander of the Rock Vipers and I will have this interlopers skull for invading  _ my _ lair!”

The crew set to cranking the blast doors back over as reports came in over the radio.

_ “Pinar here, outside… located three break areas and eyes on the airlock near command. They’ve sliced the electronics - I can see on my scope.” _ _   
  
_

_ “Sir, movement, by… oh SHIT it’s a shi-” _

The radio went dead. On the map, the outdoor crew’s blips all vanished. Lashor hissed in rage, then turned as the door slid open. Beyond, the first merc squad jogged up, now down to five men and women. Another joined, this one only two men, one of whom was streaked with blood. Lashor looked at them all.

“We stand here. Fortify and…” its words were cut off by a blue bolt that sheared the head off one merc. Another two followed, one scoring a wound into a merc’s flank, the other just missing as the soldier dove into the room. The others scattered. Lashor roared, “Return fire you fools!” and it lumbered into the corridor.

The massive reptile hefted a rifle one handed and fired down into the dim light of the corridor. The flashes of gunfire illuminated the dark expanse like strobing light as a figure approached. The lights flickered out entirely and the flying blasts lit the advancing silhouette as it came. Its suit was white, with red and gold accents, but the shape… the form…

Familiar.

Lashor roared with defiance tinged with fear, “Praetorian! Kill it! KILL IT!”

The figure moved fast, liquid and deadly. Covere, then fire, cover then fire. A hiss and the grapple shot out - a man shrieked, then whipped past the group, dragged down the corridor. The Praetorian ducked into a side room, then man hauled in along with it, then there was the distant sound of metal and flesh, followed by a gurgle. 

The mercs poured on the fire, suppressing the door. Lashor snarled, “Only one way out, you abomination….” it hissed.

And then the wall next to them exploded.

It blasted Lashor back into the command room, but pulped the merc that had been closest the bulkhead.

Clearly the room had run adjacent to the courier. And the Praetorian had made its own door.

Lashor levered itself up and watched as the tall figure stepped through the new entryway, opposite the command room. It didn’t even look to the side as it placed clean, single shots into each of the downed soldiers.

The techs in the room yelped and tried to run for the side doors that led to alternative corridors, but the Praetorian just fired two shots and the Techs went down with barely a cry. The last one, the goat-man tried to crawl away, but the white-suited figure raised its other hand and the harpoon fired. The bolt sunk into the goat-man’s head and he slumped, dead.

Lashor staggered upright and flexed, “You are in the open, little morsel. You Praetorians strike from shadow. Now you are in the light and I will have my revenge!” it flung its arm out, and the electrical whip cracked forward.

The Praetorian jinked to one side and discarded its pistol, then swept forwards. Lashor snarled and tried to rally the whip for another strike, but the Praetorian was inside its guard and grappled the taloned hand holding the weapon. A blade flashed and Lashor shrieked in pain.

Then the whip was in the Praetorian’s hand.

The figure darted around Lashor and the great reptile found the electro whip wound about its neck. It tried to haul itself forwards, to use its superior weight, but the Praetorian slammed a foot into the back of Lashor’s knee, then activated the whip.

Energy burned and the coil tightened. Lashor managed a brief shriek, then spasmed as the energy flooded its nerves. The coil tightened and bones cracked. With a twist, the reptile found itself being held up, unable to gain purchase with its forearms. It tried to scrabble, but a hard stamp cracked the reptiles ankle.

A few moments more and smoke began to rise from the scaled head. The creature’s tong lolled from a slack jaw, and blood bubbled from the corner of the creature’s eyes. With a contemptuous flick, the Praetorian released the whip and the beast slumped to the floor, dead.

Then the Praetorian turned and walked out of the door, stepping carefully over the bodies without a second glance.

A few moments later, the station announcement crackled.

_ Evacuation complete. All life signs absent.  _

_ Have a pleasant day. _

_ \---------------------- _

Angella sat back in her chair and then looked at the room’s other occupant. She swallowed, “What… was that?”

“That, Angie dear, was the sector’s major pirate problem being  _ dealt _ with.”

“And…. why show me this?”

Across the desk from her, Double Trouble leaned forwards with a smirk, “To ensure you remember to pay the bill to our resident bar fly and  _ security guard _ .”

“That… that was her? I mean, I knew she was trained…”

“And now you know how lucky you were, Queen bee, hmmm?”

Angella exhaled and smoothed her dress shirt, then nodded quickly, “Does… anyone else know? About… her?”   
  


“Nuh uh. This I made sure was scrubbed from the base. Got local miners reclaiming it, as per your directives. Well, good old Bow has. Just you and me, Angie babe. Everyone else just thinks she’s a washed out trooper with a shitty attitude. Which, y’know, ain’t  _ far _ from the truth. BUUUUT I may have let slip to some of the criminal elements that aren’t on side that there’s a Horde Praetorian sniffing about… that’ll make them more  _ agreeable _ don’t you think? If we ask for help?”

The station supervisor sighed and nodded, then winced, “Praetorians are known for… their fanaticism. I have my doubts…”

“And what, dear, are you going to  _ do _ ?” DT snorted, “You tried strong arming the girl and look how well  _ that _ went. You want to see her decide to do  _ that _ here?”

Angella frowned, then sighed, “Best not to test, I suppose. And, well… it is bloody useful.”

“Keep paying her fairly, give her good prices on the ore she brings in, she’ll be a good guard dog. All I’m saying honey…”

They spoke on a few other matters of local intelligence - how the Horde Patrol had moved to the system’s fringe. Some minor logistical matters, resupply from the planet and the input from the Salinean Reaver crew.

“Expect The  _ Sea Gate _ in the area in the next week, was basically Mermista’s line.”

“Oh I bet she said it much more succinctly.”   
  


“Quite,” mused Angella. She dialled up some more information on her terminal, “Anything else?”

“Oh no, my lady, I will now exit, stage left, as I am so clearly dismissed,” DT smirked and stood, then sketched a mock bow Angella huffed and returned the bow with a queenly-like wave. DT chuckled and stepped out of the office.

They headed down towards the bar, but froze as they entered a narrow accessway.

Adora leaned against the wall, one foot planted against the bulkhead behind her. She had one hand in the pocket of her red-brown flight jacket, whilst the other tossed a thing dagger idly. She caught the blade, then tossed it in the air only to catch the handle. Then again. And again.

DT watched, still and suddenly very cautious.

“Hey,” murmured the blonde. Ice blue eyes flicked up to regard the tailor.  _ Flip _ went the knife.  _ Flip _ .

“Oh, hey there cutie.”

“Hm.”   
  


“Mind if I squeeze by?”

“Free station, so I’m told,” Adora kept her gaze on the tailor. As DT drew closer, Adora’s voice dropped, “Been watching any good shows lately?”

DT paused, and slid their reptilian eyes to regard the blonde. They swallowed, “I saw a great horror story recently.”   
  


“Hm. Share it with any friends?”

“Only the closest. It helps to, y’know, spread the love.”

Those blue eyes looked at DT sadly, “And you don’t think how that sort of thing could… impact things?”

DT huffed and spread their arms, “It’s all the game, darling. Bit of PR, get some friends. And some people are reminded that it is not wise to fuck about, y’know?”

Adora smirked and looked away, “Maybe. But think about this… someone with a high profile ability, newsworthy. Celebrity, right? Say they go to ground, they get away from stuff that  _ no one _ is supposed to. Now, yeah, good horror story for yokels and the sort… but one of those blue collar guys tells that horror story somewhere a bit better travelled… and other people hear. And they don’t  _ like _ that. So they send  _ others _ to investigate.”

DT licked their lips and shrugged, “I know rumours. And we already have people snooping around. Powers that be don’t send out that sort of heat over a ghost story.”

Adora’s smile was still melancholy, “Well, let’s hope this little slip doesn’t get the bloodhounds in. Because… I’d hate to have to cover my tracks. Burn my bridges. Salt the earth,” she looked at the ceiling and sighed, “ _ Again _ .”

_ Flip _ went the knife and she sheathed it, then pushed off the wall. She gave DT a hard stare, then nodded and headed towards the bar. The tailor chuffed, “Come on… you’ve got  _ friends _ here.”   
  


Adora paused and looked over her shoulder, “Friends are just enemies who haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

And then she was gone. DT shivered and, for the first time, wondered whether too much gossip  _ wasn’t _ a good thing.

**Author's Note:**

> MORE sci fi.
> 
> Wanted to let you see how fucking scary Adora is currently. We'll see more of that in another installment.
> 
> And we need to get the girls back together for a face down at some stage! Wonder what Catra is up to!
> 
> Let me know if you liked - I just felt the need to try some disjointed combat and to see some more of what Adora is capable of... and some insight into that whole Praetorian thing...


End file.
